Rick Perry, Human Piñata

At the CNN-Tea Party Debate in Tampa, Mitt Romney gave one of the strongest performances of his political career in front of a crowd that did not seem to care. From the standpoint of audience approval, with only a few exceptions, this was Rick Perry's night. Watching this man play to his natural constituency, it becomes increasingly apparent that Romney has a serious problem on his hands: Romney may be the superior candidate, but Perry's appeal transcends reason. The Romney-Perry rivalry of 2012 is beginning to take on the feel of Clinton-Obama 2008 -- and everybody remembers how that turned out.

Before we get to the debate and the debaters, let us briefly lament the overblown production values surrounding this CNN-Tea Party extravaganza. Has there ever been a presidential debate that took so long to get rolling down the tracks? The extended introductory setup was ridiculous, with each candidate's on-screen visage accompanied by a Hollywood-style nickname and a few seconds of pithy narration: Bachmann the firebrand, Santorum the fighter, Gingrich the big thinker, etc. It was like the opening credits sequence for a movie you don't want to see.

The candidates then emerged one by one, with Rick Perry offering a manly salute as he crossed the stage. This is the sort of gesture that will make half the country want to puke and the other half want to salute him back. Once assembled, the candidates and the audience stood for the singing of the national anthem, further delaying the proceedings at hand. If debate sponsors deemed it necessary to include the Star-Spangled Banner, then couldn't it have been sung before the live telecast? The candidates did not utter their first words until 10 minutes into the program, and 13 minutes elapsed before the first question was asked. For the viewing audience, this amounted an enormous waste of time.

Back to the debaters:

You can always tell how candidates are faring in the polls by the onstage real estate they have been assigned. Once again Rick Perry found himself occupying the piñata position, wedged between Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. And once again he took incoming fire from all sides.

Romney got off to a powerful start as he asked the Texas governor to clarify his position on Social Security, yet it was Perry's all-too-transparent dodge that elicited the crowd's applause. Like a badass prosecuting attorney, Romney re-asked his question, addressing Perry as though he needed help understanding the English language. Although Perry responded with more tap-dancing, his obfuscations did not matter: the live Tea Party audience was clearly in Perry's corner, not Romney's.

Like Romney, Michele Bachmann showed good form in this debate, most dramatically when she all but accused Perry of selling out his principles in exchange for campaign contributions. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul also had their YouTube moments with Perry, who after the debate ended probably needed a stiff drink.

In spite of being everyone's target, and in spite of the sloppiness of his arguments, Perry did not in the final analysis appear diminished by the onslaught of attacks. At various points as Romney spoke, the camera caught Perry looking at his rival with amused disdain, an expression that brought to mind George W. Bush in his debates with Al Gore. This devil-may-care attitude may be the secret to Rick Perry's success as a debater: he refuses to take the process too seriously. Whether this wears well over the long haul -- that's a different question.

 

Comments

[hammhome]

04:40 AM on 09/14/2011

No, Conservatives do not care that Romney gave a strong performance. Romneycare led the way to Obamacare. He has not repudiated it. End of story.

[LACanuck]

09:22 AM on 09/14/2011

Could it be that his reason for not repudiating it be that it doesn't NEED repudiation?

I'm sure just as many Republican as Democrats were aghast at the outcry from the audience when the hypotethical question regarding wether an ill young person should be allowed to die was asked.

Given that, the idea that it's in the best interest of the state to provide medical care for all as cheaply as possible doesn't feel like it should be against Conservative ideology. And one of the easiest ways to reduce the overall cost of medical care is to create as large a pool of insured as possible.

Go with that as a starting point and ask why what Romney did in Massachusetts should be repealed.

[gary357]

01:46 AM on 09/14/2011

"The extended introductory setup was ridiculous, with each candidate's on-screen visage accompanied by a Hollywood-style nickname and a few seconds of pithy narration:..." e.q.

You know you are in America... when Hollywood is making a buck off of ridiculous Politicians!

[Keith Sharp]

12:39 AM on 09/14/2011

Wheres Ron Paul! Establishment Media, Same ole club, more of the same. Vote Common Sense, Vote The only Patriot up there. The Wise Elder, Vote Ron Paul to Restore America NOW

[aquarius2001]

07:16 AM on 09/14/2011

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Ron Paul will never get the nomination from the Republican Party. Never in a million years. (and I actually like Paul).

[Boomerwoman]

12:13 AM on 09/14/2011

The audience in both debates applauded lines that I, personally,find morally repugnant: the number and reason for executions in Texas, and the wish for death for uninsured, ill Americans.

Who decides and gives out the tickets? Who are the people who attend? What are their demographics? Age? Race? Gender? Annual Income? Employment status? Religious affiliation?

If these are the people who are going to choose the next republican presidential candidate, then all I have to say is "God help us."

[aquarius2001]

07:35 AM on 09/14/2011

It doesn't matter who they choose. Not one of their candidates is better than Obama. It's so funny to hear them claim the President hasn't done anything, when they've been the party of "NO" since he took office. Conress holds the purse strings---without funding---nothing gets done! How can we trust any of them to be good leaders for this country, when they could not...no Would not...support the president in anything!! What kind of "leader" refuses to vote on whether to extend unemployment benefits, but instead breaks for vacation? And these people claim to identify with "middle of America" people? Yeah, right.

[Zip Zinzel]

12:12 AM on 09/14/2011

Evidence of the Following:

RECENT POLLS INDICATE:

Republican Leaders & Insiders are strongly certain that Perry is UNELECTABLE

Meanwhile
The rank-&-file TeaZombies are equally certain that he is the MOST electable candidate



IN THE MOVIES:
A Black-OPs job would just take him out, and make it look like he died of natural causes

[americansheep]

11:41 PM on 09/13/2011

Whether you like or dislike President O. the fact is that he is vulnerable. Very. So isn't it weird that all the Repubs can come up with is this freak show?...? Good grief there has to be at least one R. politician who would appeal to the general public. If this IS what the mainstream wants, has become, etc. then I believe we're sunk. A different system of government soon to follow.

[whyus]

09:47 PM on 09/13/2011

What a pack of hyenas.

[Javalation]

09:32 PM on 09/13/2011

Fortunately for the country, that live audience doesn't represent most voters. People watching at home were provided with more than a few reasons to question Perry's voracity and suitability, and his opponents didn't even hit on all of his downside.

[ltuttleart]

07:46 PM on 09/13/2011

In my opinion, the Tea Party is nothing more than a single issue special interest group. We don't need any more "my way or the highway" groups.

[O Dannyboy]

06:59 PM on 09/13/2011

OK. The link I came in through said "Alan Schroeder: Rick Perry, Human Piata"

I was really hoping that the too often incompetent local editors had botched "Pieta" http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Michelangelo's_Pieta_5450_cropncleaned_edit.jpg/300px-Michelangelo's_Pieta_5450_cropncleaned_edit.jpg

Nope. They botched an even more common term.


I still want to read that "Alan Schroeder: Rick Perry, Human Pieta" editorial though!

[ciotog17]

09:16 PM on 09/13/2011

I'd like to buy a ñ, Alex.

[conscioushope]

11:56 PM on 09/13/2011

Danny~

I had the same thoughts....thought there would be some reference to "pieta" as well.....dopey proof readers.....they need spell check. fanned

[Forrester1]

06:34 PM on 09/13/2011

I want to know when they are going to start seriously asking these "candidates" about their religious convictions and religious extremism.
Should end the national aspirations right there.

[Intelligenti Pauca]

06:14 PM on 09/13/2011

Wondering what a Rick Perry presidency might look like?

Let's use Texas, the state he's been "governing­­­­­­­" for the last 11 years, as a microcosm.

Percent of Uninsured Children - 1st
Percent of Population Uninsured - 1st
Percent of Non-Elderl­­­­­­­­­­y Uninsured - 1st
Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions - 1st
Amount of Volatile Organic Compounds Released into Air - 1st
Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Water - 1st
Amount of Recognized Cancer-Cau­­­­­­­­­­s­i­n­g Carcinogen­­­­­­­­­­s Released into Air - 1st
Amount of Hazardous Waste Generated - 1st
Number of Executions - 1st
Percent of Population with Food Insecurity - 2nd
Percent of Children Living in Poverty - 4th
Percent Living Below Federal Poverty Level - 4th
Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Air - 5th
Percent of Population with Employer-B­­­­­­­­­­a­s­e­d Health Insurance - 48th
Percent of Population 25 and Older with a High School Diploma - 50th
Per Capita State Spending on Mental Health - 50th
Percent of Non-Elderl­­­­­­­­­­y Women with Health Insurance - 50th
Percent of Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care in First Trimester - 50th
Workers’ Compensati­­­­­­­­­­o­n Coverage - 50th

That's what America has to look forward to if Perry ever gains the White House.

[ciotog17]

09:21 PM on 09/13/2011

HEY! What have you got against a big bunch of poor sick kids breathing deadly air, eating unsafe food, drinking filthy water, playing in toxic waste dumps, needlessly getting cancer, having no future, no hope, no education, no health insurance and more likely to be executed than any other kids in America?!! Huh?!
Sounds like Texas is paradise on earth, don't it?!

[IWantTofu]

10:53 PM on 09/13/2011

Vote for Ricky Bobby if you want the rest of the country to be like he made Texas. We call it the Texas miracle. It's a miracle because with those results, people in Texas still loves him.

[ciotog17]

09:05 AM on 09/14/2011

Correction: It's a miracle that enough people in Texas manage to survive from election to election to constitute a quorum so that he CAN be re-elected. P Rick erry's doing his best to eradicate 'em but they just won't die, bless their tough ol' hides.

[laymancanuck]

05:52 PM on 09/13/2011

I watched the debate for about five minutes, before I was ready to scream. I couldn't believe how far to the right Conservatives are. It appears they are just repacking policies that have contributed to America's decline.

[aquarius2001]

07:42 AM on 09/14/2011

I don't even watch their debates. I live in Texas, so I know what Perry's all about (lining his own pockets with cash and effing over the citizens). Michell Bachman...good grief...I'm still wondering how she was ever re-elected to Congress. Herman Cain...that video ad was enough for me. Paul and Romney, heard their schtick during the '08 roundup.


Yep. A bunch of clowns!

[John Kelley 1]

05:51 PM on 09/13/2011

Rick Perry's "devil may care attitude" won't remain endearing for long. He was in front of a friendly audience during the GOP debate. Place that same smirk in front of a neutral or unfriendly group (i.e. the majority of the nation), and his goose is cooked. That's what is so surreal about these Republican debates. At the most these candidates and the studio audience are only representing the views of about 25% of the nation. Yet the media present these debates as if the opinions expressed are mainstream and accepted by a majority of our country. At one point the crowd yelled for their ill fellow citizens to die if they don't hold health insurance. Would that be considered a reasonable and moderate point of view held by most sane Americans? Of course, not. Yet you would never know it from how it was handled by everyone involved in that evening's debate. That should say all that needs to be said about the relevance of the GOP debate system and the candidates involved.

[Decorina]

05:16 PM on 09/13/2011

I question the use of the word "human" in that headline. I think he's a zyborg or something.